


Freedom of the Soul

by R_Black



Series: From the Ashes [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Heroic Suicide, Martyrdom, Molly needs a hug, Mollymauk Tealeaf Lives, Panic Attacks, but also he needs a leash, mollymauk and caduceus at the same time because I said so, this is a fancy way of saying:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 07:27:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26469433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_Black/pseuds/R_Black
Summary: Mollymauk is still stewing over what happened with Isharnai, how he nearly gave up his soul to help Veth. His anxiety worsens while on Rumblecusp, but the Moonweaver is there to help this time.
Series: From the Ashes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924222
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	1. Vision

**Author's Note:**

> References to the previous story in this series are made, but said story is not required to read before this one.
> 
> ***Trigger warnings for chapter one: Panic attack and existential crisis***

After the run-in with Isharnai, Molly was certain things couldn't get any creepier. The menagerie of the gorgon was definitely a contender, but it hadn't made him…hadn't made him cry like the Hag had.

Molly hadn't really discussed that breakdown with the others. Well, he'd told them that his soul had been up for grabs in the deal to let Nott become a Halfling again, and he'd also said he couldn't do it. But he never did explain why. He never exactly explained the whole Mollymoth in a jar for eternity thing, but everyone gave him his space on the matter. They all seemed to agree that whatever had happened was a very private matter, and that if Molly didn't want to talk about it, then by the Moonweaver he would never fucking talk about it.

The only ones who didn't leave him alone regarding the instance were Yasha and Caduceus. The former was his dearest and best friend, one who had been by his side since almost his beginning. The latter…well, he was the cleric who sensed _everything_ , especially when it came to the feelings of others. While Yasha had held Molly until he calmed down, Caduceus had been the one to bring him back down. Something about the timbre of his voice, the unwavering calmness of his presence, was able to pierce through his panic attack and reach him before he went too far. Needless to say, Caduceus had more than earned that spot in Molly's circle of friends.

And Molly had done everything in his power to repay the Firbolg when it came to fighting off the Gorgon guarding the petrified Clays. Thank Sehanine for his Ethereal Step ability, otherwise the petrifying gas would have been more of a problem for him.

The creepy factor of the Hag had mostly dimmed by the time the Peace Talks had ended, and the Dragon Turtle had distracted him from thinking about how anything could be worse than her.

Then they'd arrived on Rumblecusp, and Molly found out it could, indeed, be worse than the Hag. The whole memory loss thing was enough to make his skin crawl, and he was really wanting to just get off this damn rock as quickly as possible.

And then the Nein just _had_ to go see Avocado Vokodo Hullabaloo. They braved those stupid tar pits (Caduceus really did not have a good time with those) and nearly fought a fucking dinosaur before finally arriving at the underwater maze that was under the volcano.

Vokodo was absolutely enamored with Molly the moment he entered the false god's lair.

“So _shiny_ ,” the creature hissed. One of his tentacles slithered across Molly's chin and around his horns. The Tiefling shivered in disgust, grateful they were all underwater and didn't have to get covered in whatever fucking mucus Vokodo secreted. “You have such lovely offerings.”

Molly gritted his teeth, really wanting to just kill this bastard. He didn't want to give up any of his possessions. They were his, not anyone else's!

In the end, the heating of the water and the risk of losing Nott from her own lack of a proper offering led to Molly giving away his horn jewelry. All of it at once.

While Jester had bargained for TravelerCon to happen on the island, Molly felt the creepy tentacle return. It touched his tail piercings, slid across the bottom of his coat, and prodded his swords. Molly was severely close to fight or flight, and he had a sneaking suspicion he would end up choosing fight. Fuck this thing.

Eventually, the group exited the lair and made it back outside. And when they'd reached relative safety, Caduceus managed to cast Greater Restoration on Viridian, finally removing the shroud of fog in her mind. Molly wasn't shocked to find Viridian’s entire persona was a sham created by memory loss and manipulation. He hung back when everyone started questioning her, mind going to a darker place.

Was Molly the same way? Had whatever ritual Lucien had fucked up done a number on his memories like Vokodo had done to the islanders? He shuddered to think what would happen if someone cast Greater Restoration on him if there wasn't anything inherently wrong? Would Lucien show up? Would Molly be forced to backseat drive until his spirit was ultimately forced out? Was Molly even his own spirit after all? Or was he really just Lucien in a foggy perma-daze?

“Molly?”

Molly backed away from the group, eyes fixed on his hands. Were they his? Or were they his? His gaze darted to the red eyes along his hand and arm. Those weren't Molly's, no matter what he said. No matter how he tried to cover them up, the eyes that weren't his would always be there, as a reminder that this body was Lucien's first. And one day, he might be back for it, whether that meant his soul and Molly's would duke it out for ownership or that Molly really was just Lucien in a dreamy state…and he would wake up as a different, possibly worse asshole.

“Molly!”

He couldn't breathe. As much as he tried to inhale, he couldn't. It was too damn hot here. Too much humidity. Too many eyes on him. Too many people why were there so many people on this godsforsaken island? Too much too much too much!

Someone tried to grab him. To pull him towards the group of far too many eyes. Their breaths were unbearably hot on his skin even from this distance. There was so much damn space on this island, why couldn't they go somewhere else?

He surged out of their grip. Someone clutched his coat in some sort of attempt to stop him, but he fluidly shot out of it as if it were nothing more than wind. He didn't need the coat here. It was way too hot for a fucking coat!

Voices called after him as he ran into the jungle. He no longer understood them, no longer wanted to understand them. They wouldn't be able to understand him. They wouldn't be able to understand his predicament. His entire being could be a lie, just like Viridian's…Vilya’s…whatever. He could ultimately be just like the villagers, living a huge lie, going through a fog of falsehood and claiming to be someone entirely different. Had they died out at sea before coming to the island? Was that why they all ended up losing their memories? If Vokodo died, would whatever magic that kept their memories locked away accidentally affect him too?

He crashed through the jungle at top speed, hating everything about this place more and more. He wanted to get away. He wanted off this damned rock. Escape escape escape!

He felt like he was already losing his mind. Where was he? Had he gotten away from the muchness that was that large group? The jungle was also too much for his liking. Too many birds and bugs and critters getting in his way, calling out, flying through the air. It was far too crowded here. He wanted nothing more than to be alone right now. For this whole island to be devoid of life. To be…

_Empty._

A switch flicked in his brain. He skidded to a halt in the mud. He didn't care. He couldn't care, couldn't feel. Thoughts and emotions were cast out of his mind.

_Empty. Empty. Empty._

The world spun around him. He closed his eyes, hoping the darkness could help relieve him of this pressure in his skull. Something threatened to fill him and he didn't want it. The world outside was full and he was _empty_ and he didn't want the outside to come in!

And then he sank. The mud sucked him down like the tar pits from before. He didn't feel anything pulling him under other than gravity. There was nothing eating his feet, not like the bug things that tried to eat...eat someone. Who had those bugs been eating? The _emptiness_ in his mind stretched far, and he eventually stopped trying to remember anything. He just kept sinking.

The crowded jungle became even more crowded as the mud sucked him lower. Everything was too much in this place! His empty mind screamed for relief from all this damned pressure inside and out, and his voice choked out a strangled cry just as his head sank below the surface of the mud.

* * *

Molly opened his eyes to a full moon. He was lying on his back, grass tickling his skin. 

He sat up, rubbing his head. No jewelry tinkled by his ears, but he quickly remembered that it was all taken by Vokodo. Then, he realized with a jolt that his last memories were of sinking into the mud after running away from the Nein! His breath hitched as he tried to stand.

“Be still, Mollymauk Tealeaf,” a warm voice whispered in his ear. “You are safe.”

Molly looked around, whipping his head back and forth. No one was there. No sign of non-floral life at all. Just him in the middle of a grassy field and the moon floating in a sea of stars.

“Hello?” he called, voice soft. “Who's there?”

Though he couldn't see them, he felt a pair of ghostly hands stroke his cheeks. Unlike with Vokodo, however, this touch was warm and inviting. It made Molly feel safe, like a child being caressed by their mother.

“Who are you?” he asked the air.

_“I am the one who has been with you all your life,”_ the voice whispered. He realized it was female. _“The one who has seen you grow into a spectacular specimen of life and happiness.”_

Molly blinked. The hands clutching him became visible, and he was suddenly able to see a young elven woman with delicate blue skin and long silver-white hair sitting in front of him. Her eyes were a kaleidoscope of silvers and blues, like two galaxies were swimming within her irises.

“M-Moonweaver?” he stuttered.

_“The one and only,”_ she giggled.

“Wh…what's going on? Where am I?”

_“You are in a small pocket realm of my creation. In a dream-state.”_

“I'm dreaming?”

_“In a sense. My child, you and I both know you don't actually want to know the logistics.”_

Molly nodded. “Too much shit to think about. Me dreaming this is pretty much all I need there. But…” He paused, grimacing as he thought of a way to ask this without offending a goddess. “Why you? Why are you in my dreams?”

Not exactly polite, but Molly couldn't think of anything better.

If the goddess was offended, she didn't show it. She smiled softly instead. _“I can get Bahamut instead. He was really into the tapestry shenanigans from a while back.”_

Molly chuckled. “He didn't think it was blasphemous that I said ‘I am your god?’”

_“Not at all. And the stunt you, Nott, and Jester pulled in his temple? He was absolutely howling in laughter. He said it was a shame Jester was already claimed by the Traveler, otherwise he would have taken her in right then and there.”_

“Why not me and Nott?”

_“Your friend was a little too wild for him, and definitely didn't strike us as overly loyal to any god. And as for you…”_ She winked. _“I had dibbs.”_

Molly smirked. “I'm flattered. But, circling back around…why? Why me? What did I do?”

_“You lived.”_

Molly scoffed.

_“I'm serious. I watched you crawl out of the ground and felt a connection the moment you looked up at me.”_

He cast his eyes downward. She was impressed with how Lucien lived. How Lucien had lived through whatever fucking ritual he'd done. Not Molly, but Lucien.

_“Lucien was not one of mine,”_ Sehanine snarled. Molly jumped at the tone, forgetting that gods probably read minds on a regular basis. _“He was a terrible person, and he is dead. I had to watch as he and his ilk attempted an insane ritual they weren't meant to attempt. Lucien died and that was that._

_“But then you popped out of the ground. You were so new, so innocent, and most importantly, you were not him. You are you, and you have done so much to prove that. You are the person I'm proud of, Mollymauk. Not Lucien.”_

Molly laughed breathlessly. “No, seriously, though. Why me? Have you really been watching me? I'm an asshole. A bloody dumbass who pulls cons, sleeps with literally anyone, and is generally a terrible influence.”

Sehanine stroked his cheek again. _“I have been watching you. You are the personification of life, of revelry, of the sheer joy of being oneself. No matter how life treats you, you choose to walk through with a skip in your step and a smile on your face. What I see when I look at you is a Tiefling who makes the world better no matter where he goes, regardless of how much he acts like an asshole.”_

Molly felt tears well up in his eyes. He scrubbed them away furiously. “I'm…I'm not…” What? Not worthy? Not ready? Not…real? “What…what am I? Am I just Lucien who started over? A new soul that invaded this body on accident? If the latter is true then what happens if Lucien wants it back?”

She put a finger on his lips to silence him. His breathing, which had begun to quicken, slowed.

_“You are Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to your friends. And while I admit that I do not know exactly what brought you into that body, I know that you are not Lucien. And as for what would happen should Lucien take this form back, you are your own soul now, and your friends are growing more powerful. They will soon be powerful enough to give you a new body should your soul be cast out.”_

“And what if they don't become powerful enough in time? What then? I become a butterfly trapped in a jar, waiting for the day my friends might get around to resurrecting me? Wait for Lucien to fuck my friends up so hard they might not want to try bringing me back?”

_“Be still.”_

Molly panted, his heart racing. Sehanine ran her fingers through Molly's hair, waiting patiently for him to settle back down. He hated how fucked up this was, how the mere thought of butterflies made him jumpy as hell, how he couldn't even look at a fucking clear jar without freezing for a second. He knew the Hag was enjoying this, that maybe she'd cursed him to see his spirit form floating around randomly, to set him off into an unwanted anxiety attack.

_“Mollymauk,”_ the Moonweaver chastised. _“My child, the Hag cannot and will not harm you further. Not while you are under my protection. Your spirit is as free as the peacock whose feathers adorn your skin. And, if I may add, peacocks are known to be…terrible little assholes.”_

That made Molly bark out a laugh. A few tears escaped from the corners of his eyes, trickling down his cheeks and splashing onto his legs. His shoulders shook with held-in giggles.

He suddenly a tender kiss on his forehead. When he looked up at the Moonweaver, her galaxy eyes were sparkling and her hair flowed from a nonexistent wind.

_“Mollymauk Tealeaf,”_ she said. _“You have made powerful allies. Trust in your friends, for they will bring you up from the depths of the void. What I have given you is a taste of the power you could receive if you play your cards right.”_

“What kind of power?” Molly asked. He touched his forehead, a spot where he'd kissed Caleb, and seen Caleb return that kindness in turn to Essek.

_“Something completely different to the one Lucien gave you. Something very much yours.”_

She rose to her full height. The tips of her hair turned shadowy, as if they were fading away. _“You will have one chance, my child. I will illuminate your path to the crossroads, but ultimately I cannot make you choose which road you take. There is always a choice.”_

“Wait, if I only get once chance, can't you tell me what fucking power this is? Is it a spell? Do I have Wish or something? Can I hurl a meteor at Avocado?”

Sehanine giggled in a way that sounded like wind chimes tinkling. Then, she whispered something that Molly barely caught. Something very important that made Molly's head spin.

She told him exactly what spell she'd given him just this once.

Molly suddenly had an idea. A very stupid idea only he could have come up with. One that would showcase that one spell and hopefully take out Vokodo…even if it meant…

_“Do not hesitate at the crossroads, my child,”_ the Moonweaver warned. Her body was more ethereal now, and the world around them was fading with her. _“Trust in your friends, old and new. And trust in your own strength. You are free.”_

Molly closed his eyes, one last tear falling down his cheek. “Thank you, Moonweaver.”


	2. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight with Vokodo goes differently, and Molly hits the crossroads of his destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***WARNING!! This chapter features suicide. While it is classified as a heroic sacrifice, it is still suicide. While I did not describe the death itself in detail, I understand the event surrounding it can still be disturbing to some viewers. If this content triggers you, please do not read past "Molly took his chance and leapt forward."

Molly coughed, suddenly awakening to the sensation that he couldn't breathe. The mud…he had been sucked into a sinkhole of mud!

“Whoa, easy there, Mr. Mollymauk,” said a deep voice. “You're alright. Take some slow breaths, there's plenty of air.”

Molly's lungs finally expanded, allowing him big gulps of air. He breathed slowly and deeply, eyes blinking open.

Caduceus stared at him from a seated position next to him. His stupid dopey smile was still present. “G'morning. Feel like sharing some memories?”

Molly was confused momentarily, then realized Caduceus wanted him to do their little Rumblecusp Ritual. He cleared his throat and said with a bit of scratch to his voice, “The name's Mollymauk Tealeaf. Molly to my friends. I don't have parents because I crawled out of the grave of some fucker named Lucien 3 years ago.”

Caduceus's smile widened. “Good. Glad we don't have to cast another Greater Restoration.”

“Another?”

It was then Molly noticed that they were not in the middle of the jungle, but next to a beautiful large pool next to a sheer cliff. An enormous geyser spewed eternally near the far end of the pool, right against the cliff itself. He could see Jester and Caleb swimming in the shallows, searching for something. Vilya was near him and Caduceus, one eye on the forest beyond her. Molly thought she saw Veth slowly rising into the air, examining the geyser as she ascended. Fjord, Beau, and Yasha were nowhere to be seen.

“Where…the fuck?” he sputtered.

“Heaven's Falls,” Vilya answered. “On the Eastern side of the island.”

“We found you unconscious in the mud,” Caduceus explained. “Thought maybe Vokodo had done something to you since he was really handsy with you. Handsy? Tentaclesy?”

“No. I…” Molly glanced at Vilya briefly. “I had a bit of a panic attack.”

“The Hag?”

At this point, Molly wasn't surprised the Firbolg fucking knew. The bastard was way too insightful. He nodded. “Yeah. My thoughts got a little too…they were a lot. Sorry I ran.”

“It's okay. We all have moments like that. Sometimes the emotions overpower rationality. We found you in the end, that's what mattered.”

“You had a panic attack and then passed out for a day,” Vilya said. Her tone was sharp but not aggressive. “Are you sure something didn't affect you in some way?”

Molly shook his head. “No. But…I had a dream about the Moonweaver. She…” He hesitated, look at his hands.

Caduceus placed his own giant hand on Molly's shoulder. “Take your time to process it, Mr. Mollymauk.”

“Thanks. She…She told me what I needed to hear. And that I should trust my friends.”

“That's a good kind of vision. I like those.”

Without warning, the geyser spurted. Someone shot into the air at a high velocity from the geyser, screaming as they did so.

Molly watched as Yasha flew past the apex of the geyser and paused for a heartbeat midair. Then, she began to plummet straight back down towards the cliff, which was at very far below her. At one point, Yasha brought out her skeletal black wings in a desperate attempt to fly. It only served to make her look hilariously like a plucked chicken falling off a barn. She crashed into the top of the cliff, rolling out of sight of those below. Veth, already steadily rising, went to investigate the crash site.

Molly scrambled to his feet, ignoring the protests of both Caduceus and his own wobbly legs. He splashed into the pool and swam as close to the cliff as he could. It didn't look very climbable, but he felt he only needed to get up a little bit before busting out his ethereal step ability to get him the rest of the way.

Before he could start on that, Yasha and Veth both popped their heads past the edge of the cliff. They waved at everyone below.

Yasha's eyes widened when she looked down. “Molly! You're awake!”

“Hello darling!” he yelled up at her. “Sorry I had to take a super long nap! Memory's fine by the way, no need for a spell!”

“Glad to hear it!”

Beau and Fjord surfaced nearby, looking slightly panicked. Beau was holding…a piece of wood, for some reason.

“Anyone seen Yasha?” Beau called.

“She tried to fly,” Molly answered. “I think she needs to practice more, though. She fell like a stone. She's fine.”

“Molly, you asshole! When the fuck did you wake up?”

Beau tried to slap Molly with the piece of wood playfully, which he dodged. Fjord joined them, with Caduceus finally catching up shortly after. They all exchanged information, Beau and Fjord speaking of the underwater portal causing the geyser and Molly and Caduceus quickly explaining about the panic attack and subsequent dream vision.

“Why the fuck are you holding that?” Molly asked before anyone could question him further about the panic attack. He gestured to the wood.

“Oh yeah. Here.” Beau handed the plank to Caduceus, who took it with an ignorant smile. “Can you tell what that is?”

“Looks like wood,” The Firbolg answered happily. “Pretty good wood, too. It's nice.”

“No, I meant…ugh. Can you tell what it's from?”

“Nope.”

“Fucking Hells.”

* * *

Getting to Vokodo wouldn't be much of a problem. The others had agreed to just follow whoever fell under the spell like Caduceus had the day before. Easy peasy.

Except when the time came for them to go through the maze, Molly felt a tug in his mind. It didn't feel like the creepy presence of Vokodo, either. It felt colder, yet soothing. He slowed his pace at the back of the pack, careful not to grab anyone's attention.

While the others followed the Torch Blooms deeper into the maze, Molly broke away. His path was lined not with the creepy orange flowers, but with underwater lilies that glowed a soft blue. Where they bloomed, Molly felt the water temperature lower. He knew what they meant: The Moonweaver was leading him to his crossroads.

His path climbed higher, and soon he was out of the water and traversing the inside of the caldera. Molly had a scary thought that he should have been burned from the mere vicinity of the lava, but he felt nothing but a cool breeze. The further he climbed, the more sure his footing, until finally he stood at the top, looking down into the pit of lava.

The caldera itself became transparent, and Molly could see Vokodo descending upon his friends. He saw Yasha get caught in his gaze and his blood froze.

Then, the pit began to boil. Molly felt his very being tremble. This was it. His crossroads. He knew the spell he needed to cast, but he worried about the height. If he missed…if he did it wrong…everyone below would suffer.

Vokodo's roars could be heard even from Molly's position. Molly saw Beau and Caduceus suddenly disappear, though from the rest of the Nein's body language, it must have been accidental on someone's part and not Vokodo's fault. He heard Veth shout something, probably, “Where's Molly?”

The cool breeze picked up again. Molly felt the Moonweaver tousle his locks a bit.

“What am I meant to do?” he asked.

No answer came.

Molly felt as if every damn god, real or otherwise, was watching him. Judging him. They were all such assholes, not giving him a single fucking hint.

Vokodo's roars cut off for a moment. Molly looked down. Caduceus and Beau had returned, and Vokodo was gone. The lava was still boiling (obviously) but Molly realized the water in the lair was also hotter than Hell. Everyone was beginning to sport boils and heat blisters.

He heard Jester screech in pain as a nearby vent caused heated air bubbles to float near her. Some of them hit her directly, and Molly saw her collapse to her knees.

And Vokodo reappeared, screeching in a mix of fear and anger like Molly had never heard. The Nein scrambled to hit him again in some attempt of surprise, but it wasn't enough.

Molly felt his heart hit his stomach. He finally knew what to do.

He stepped up to the edge of the caldera and swiped his blade across his chest. The spot where Lorenzo had stabbed him with the glaive throbbed and bled. Molly's vision went red as all nine of his blood eyes spurted across his body. He screeched in agony, his insides on fire, but he remained standing. The fire inside him flew outward, covering his blood like fire on oil-stained water and wreathing his blade in a cone of flame. He pointed his blade to the sky, then slammed it into the ground with enough force to shove the hilt through. The fire descended with it and Molly could actually feel the flames extend through the ground around him. With all his strength, he pulled the blade hard, wrenching a fissure into existence and screaming the words to the spell the Moonweaver had given him.

He felt the earth rumble, and the lava inside the caldera became an enormous geyser. It spun like a vicious tornado, higher and higher into the air, taking some of the boiling water and molten earth from Vokodo's lair with it.

Molly finally freed his sword. Fire no longer licked the blade. Instead, it was covered in molten lava, spearheaded with obsidian.

As the lava and rock from the volcano itself ascended, Molly took his chance and leapt forward.

He descended into the volcano at breakneck speed, lava and obsidian sword pointed downwards like a nuke. Molly heard his friends scream as they processed what was happening. The lava and earth from the eruption suddenly descended upon him, but he didn't feel its heat. It felt warm, sure, but not excruciating. His clothes caught fire, and his beloved coat melted into his own skin, merging with him. The lava seeped into the wound he'd created moments before, and his old scars reopened, allowing the lava to flow into his veins. His red eyes exploded once more, the blood turning to magma. Molly felt the earth and remaining lava cocoon around him, cutting him off from any sort of rescue the Nein could attempt before the deed was done.

The lair's walls exploded into a spider web of fissures and cracks, magma illuminating the room from beyond. The ground erupted, boulders shooting upwards in giant spikes and trapping Vokodo alone inside a circle of doom. The water around the lair began to whirlpool with Vokodo's position acting as the eye. The Nein were swept against their will towards the back entrance, shouting in terror.

The molten rocket that was Molly hurtled into the lair. The last thing he heard was Vokodo's screech of denial, and the Nein's pleas for him to pull up.

The last thing Molly felt was a pain so terrible, a force of impact so great, that he only felt it for a second before perishing.

Both he and Vokodo disintegrated upon impact. The false god's treasures surprisingly survived, yet even the loose piles of gold became deadly projectiles in their own right, soaring through the lair waters like spears.

Molly's obsidian and lava sword shot across the lair and landed at Caleb's feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call one of the following numbers:
> 
> National Suicide Prevention Hotline -- 1-800-273-8255  
> Crisis Text Line -- Text Hello to 741741  
> YouthLine -- Text teen2teen to 839863, or call 1-877-968-8491  
> The Trevor Project -- 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678


	3. Prism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nein mourn the loss of Mollymauk, but TravelerCon still has to happen. And besides, Molly isn't done with them quite yet.

It wasn't ever easy to mourn. Caduceus knew that more than anyone in the Nein. He'd seen people come and go, physically and spiritually. He'd seen folks in different stages of mourning, each person as unique as the loved one they'd lost. It was no different with the half of the Nein that had come to him that fateful day, carrying the body of Mollymauk Tealeaf between them. Caleb and Nott had been absolutely devastated, Beau seemed pissed and unable to truly process the event, Keg had been angry at herself more than anything, and Nila held a sadness for someone she had yet to know.

In a way, they had been lucky. Lorenzo had not killed Molly outright, but he was unable to heal properly in the time it took to get to the Grove. He'd died mere moments after arriving, and Caduceus was at least able to revive him quickly, though he would be in no condition to fight for at least a few weeks. They'd left him behind to take on the Iron Shepherds, returning battered but successful to a bored Molly.

That time hadn't been the only time someone in the Nein had died, but it set the tone for the future. They all matured that day, they grew closer, and even immediately welcomed Caduceus as if they'd always known him. Every time someone went down, one of the group would always be there. They would be there to protect the body until either Jester or Caduceus could revive them.

But this time was different.

Molly was dead again, and there was no way to revive him at the Nein's current level. Jester and Caduceus were close, but not close enough. Molly had been obliterated, same as Vokodo. His body was gone. His only possession was the obsidian-tipped sword now held by Caleb. Bits of it had melted from the lava that had fused into the metal, but the rest had set into an almost diamond-esque obsidian look. Truly, it was a unique sword, and Molly would have preened over it.

It was a strange mixture of emotions in the city of Vo for the next day or so. On the one hand, everyone had gotten their memories back! On the other, those memories sometimes conflicted with the present and whoever the person had been in Vo. There was anger, confusion, terror, bliss…every emotion Caduceus had ever seen was expressed that first day back.

But the Nein were in mourning, and that in itself presented a strange mix of emotions. With the proximity of TravelerCon, there wasn't much time to mourn Molly properly. Caduceus had given a decent eulogy, they marked a spot in Vo, and placed a bunch of flowers there. The Nein agreed to properly mourn once TravelerCon was over and they were off the island.

One other thing was causing Caduceus himself to have a mixture of emotions: He was having dream visions of that city in the Astral Sea. Vokodo had screamed the initial vision into the Nein's heads, but Caduceus was still having dreams about it.

And the oddest thing was that he could have sworn he saw Molly in one of those dreams. Molly had been wandering that strange and empty city, but it didn't feel completely true. Caduceus couldn't make out the tattoos that adorned his skin, nor could he see the colorful coat or shining jewelry. But he saw the eyes. Across his body, Caduceus saw nine illuminated points where Molly's eye tattoos were. If he looked for long enough, the points opened up like actual eyes and glared at him, and then Molly disappeared, the city swallowing him whole.

Even the Wildmother had no idea what these dreams were about, and it scared him. He was confused by these visions, curious to know why Molly was there, but frightened of the unnatural atmosphere of the dream itself.

He held it close to his chest, though. After all, Jester's big day was just around the corner. He'd help out with TravelerCon, allow the Nein to properly grieve for Molly, and then tell them about those dreams if no one else brought something similar up.

* * *

“Do you think the Moonweaver would be cool with this?”

Caleb looked up from his spell book, where he was diligently and carefully studying the Teleportation sigils. “It's up in the air at this point,” he said. “You and Caduceus attempted to commune with her, didn't you?”

Jester flopped onto the cot next to him. They were alone in Viyla's hut currently, but that could change with any of the Nein popping in for their glorious cult leader at any moment.

“Yeah, but Commune apparently doesn't work with other gods,” she whined. “Caduceus said the Wildmother wasn't sure about the whole thing, but she's not gonna, like, stop us.”

“Perhaps Molly will vouch for us,” he said flippantly. “Or distract her.”

“Did you know Molly said the Moonweaver said the Platinum Dragon was super impressed by what we did at his temple?”

Caleb shut his eyes to process the entire statement. “He was okay with you defacing his temple?”

“Apparently he, like, totally laughed his ass off.”

“Maybe we should have chosen Him as the god to impersonate,” he joked.

Jester pouted. “Oh man! We totally should have! But now we've got the whole Moonweaver thing planned and shit and I don't wanna change the plan last minute!”

“Jester.” Caleb closed his spell book and held her shoulder. “Whatever happens, it's going to be brilliant.”

“But still…” Jester's tail curled around her ankle. “What if the Moonweaver gets mad and smites us? Or she punishes Molly's spirit?”

“I don't think she would do that,” Caleb said. “As much as I don't want to, we should probably trust in the Traveler's judgement on this. We're not exactly doing terrible things in her name, just shoving followers into her own cult.” He hummed in thought. “And besides, I think Molly would be supportive of this plan, too. If nothing else, he would definitely enjoy the party.”

“You think he'd act like her high priest if I'd asked?”

“I wouldn't go _that_ far, but I know he'd have been doing some crazy shit for you anyway.”

They continued their conversation for a little while longer. Eventually, Jester left, still nervous but once again determined to go through with her original Moonweaver plan.

Caleb watched her leave with a sigh. He was about to reopen his book when he glanced upon Molly's sword sitting against the wall. It hadn't been placed at the makeshift grave, since the Nein agreed it would do better with them. Caleb took it, since everyone else had something decent for close range combat. At least…that was what he'd told them. Really, he just didn't want the only Molly thing they had left to leave their possession.

The sword hadn't been anything spectacular. From the shape of it, Caleb deduced it had been one of his original carnival glass scimitars. He wondered why Molly had chosen that as his final sword instead of one of the more powerful weapons he'd gained since they'd met nearly a year ago.

He leaned over to grasp the hilt and heave it up to his lap. It was heavy, far heavier than it used to be, possibly due to the fact it was mostly a giant chunk of rock and obsidian now. It wasn't very sharp, either. The tip was, but that was likely due to the sheer velocity from Molly's descent. Strangely, it was still quite hot to the touch, almost as of there was a hint of lava still flowing underneath the dull obsidian layer.

Caleb brushed his hand across the flat edge of the blade. The heat was there, as always, yet he could sense some sort of magic. The magic had been there since Molly's demise, yet no matter how many times Caleb cast Identify, he couldn't figure out what the magic was. Every day the magic inside the blade grew stronger, yet he still couldn't identify it. Like everything else about Molly, it was an enigma.

A dull rainbow sheen bounced off the blade in the bit of sunlight filtering through the hut. Caleb examined it, enamored. Some part deep inside him wondered if he would see Molly's spirit in the obsidian if he gazed hard enough. Where else would that strange shine come from other than the colorful Tiefling himself?

He stared for what felt like hours before putting the sword back and returning to his studying. Had his gaze lingered on the blade just a bit longer, he might have noticed the obsidian crack just a little. The rainbow sheen became more prevalent for a split second as the obsidian cracked more. By the time Caleb turned his gaze upon the sword again, it had warped and returned to a seamless chunk once more.

* * *

TravelerCon came, and boy did it go out with a bang. Yasha wanted to say she was surprised by the Moonweaver's reaction to the Traveler's deception, but she really wasn't. She wished the Moonweaver's emissary had stuck around long enough to answer some questions, though. She wanted to know if Molly was okay on the other side.

The Traveler, for all his faults, was still a pretty decent guy. A shitty deity, but a decent friend. Yasha was glad that Jester had convinced the Moonweaver to release him. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if they'd had to go get him back from the Feywilds…

So, there they all sat, at the edge of the volcano, drinking away the shitshow that was the end of TravelerCon. Artagan said it took a lot to get him drunk, but Yasha was sure he was halfway there.

Caleb produced Molly's sword and placed it on the ground, right in the center of their drinking circle. Then, he held up his flagon.

“To Molly,” he toasted.

“To Molly!”

They all took a swig, even Artagan. Yasha's gulp felt bitter, but she soldiered through it. She chugged her entire drink in his memory.

As soon as Yasha set down her cup, she felt the ground rumble. Everyone immediately looked at Artagan.

“Wasn't me,” he defended.

Suddenly, Molly's sword shook violently. Everyone jumped back to the edge of the dome, away from the weapon that had taken on a life of its own. Frumpkin and Sprinkle hissed from around the necks of their respective owners.

The sword hopped in place, vibrated a little, and then floated into the air. Then, it suddenly pointed straight at Artagan and flew towards him.

The Archfey in question screeched in alarm and scrambled out of the dome as fast as he could. As soon as he was out, he swung to the left and fled to the aft of the dome. The sword followed him out but immediately swerved to the right when it exited. The Nein exited shortly after, sans Caleb.

Yasha watched as the sword flew over the pit of lava, rotating slowly on its tip. As it spun, the obsidian began to flake away. What was left behind was a slim scimitar still made of obsidian, but it was more refined and colorful, and it was definitely sharper than it had ever been before. Soon, the sword was a bright prism of rainbow light. The halo it created illuminated the sky above the caldera almost as brightly as the moon.

The lava below the sword began to bubble. The heat in the atmosphere was almost unbearable, but the Nein seemed rooted to their spots. Even Artagan looked dumbfounded at what was happening. Soon, the lava slowly and impossibly crawled upwards into the air, like a slow motion geyser. It climbed in front of the sword but did not claim it. The sword continued its glowing behind the column of lava, seemingly unaffected by the terrible heat and pressure.

Yasha's breath hitched. What was happening? Was Vokodo returning? Was the city trying to come through? Was some new god trying to make themselves known? She searched the skies for a moment, hoping for answers to come in the form of a storm. She noticed Caduceus doing the same, though he was likely looking for a sign from the Wildmother.

The column stopped just above the sword's altitude. In the spot blocking the sword from view, the lava swelled. Soon, it resembled a glowing orange and red egg with veins of fire curling around the shell. The egg became haloed by the sword, and the light produced by both items blended together in a variety of colors Yasha felt she'd never seen before.

For a moment, the entire world fell silent. Yasha couldn't hear anything, even the partiers in the village. No birds, no bugs, nothing.

Then…

The egg began to change colors. The reds darkened to a deep and beautiful shade of purple, the oranges and yellows became an ombré of blues and greens. The halo shined the same, highlighting the new colors in such a way the ombré looked like a galaxy. The lava veins changed from bright orange to a blue very reminiscent of the Moonweaver's emissary's skin tone. The veins weaved through the ombré galaxy of the egg like long comet tails.

“That is seriously cool, you guys,” Jester mumbled beside Yasha.

Artagan sidled up next to his final follower. “It looks like…a phoenix egg.”

Fjord sputtered. “Are you saying a phoenix is just suddenly deciding to be born right now of all times?”

“Technically you can't choose to be born,” the Archfey said flippantly. “But there's something off about this one anyway. It's a little too big, for one. For another, those colors…”

“Wasn't there a purple phoenix who was all chummy with Uk'atoa?” Beau asked, eyes narrowing.

“Uk'atoa,” repeated both Veth and Jester out of habit.

“I don't remember that one having greens and blues in its color scheme,” Caleb mentioned from inside the bubble. “She was mostly purple and red, right?”

Yasha kept her gaze on the floating egg. It seemed almost…familiar.

As the others began to argue about whether they should be concerned or excited at the prospect of a baby phoenix, Yasha saw the blue lava veins brighten. Cracks began to form at the seams where the veins met eggshell. The ombré galaxy became dotted with tiny holes, which soon became connected via the cracks.

“Guys,” she warned. “Maybe we should step back?”

She barely was able to say even that. The egg suddenly exploded, the hardened shell flying outward. Some pieces hit the lava, some flew into the jungle, and one in particular hit Beau in the forehead; her monk skills apparently couldn't save her from eggshell projectiles.

The sword's halo was once again in full view, and Yasha had to squint to see what had hatched. She caught a glimpse of sapphire and emerald colored wings speckled with gold before her eyes fully adjusted.

What she saw made tears flow down her cheeks.

Mollymauk Tealeaf, naked as a baby in spring, was floating where the egg used to be. Great wings that resembled those of a peacock were spread behind him, each feather so dazzling they seemed to sparkle like starlight. His hair was longer, loose curls flowing down to just below his shoulders. His horns curled outward more, as if he'd aged a few more years. His tattoos were still present, and they seemed to glow with their own light. His Blood Hunter scars were still there as well, but the ugly glaive scar had disappeared. From what Yasha could see, his red eye tattoos were gone.

Molly's form gently floated forward. His sword followed, causing him to be haloed in a rainbow just as the egg had been.

Yasha ran up to catch her friend. As soon as his bare feet touched the ground, the magic holding him up suddenly vanished. He collapsed limply into Yasha's arms. His wings retreated into his back, forming a beautiful new tattoo of peacock wings on either side of his All-Seeing Eye.

“Molly!”

Yasha honestly couldn't tell who had shouted that. Maybe she had, maybe it had been Jester or Beau or Caleb, or maybe the entire world had said it at once. It didn't matter, since that one single word was enough of an incentive for the Tiefling to suddenly gasp and open his eyes.

He scrambled in Yasha's grip, gasping as if waking from a fitful sleep. Yasha held him steady, waiting for him to calm. Eventually, he gazed up at her, his still-red eyes wide and confused.

“Yasha?” he croaked.

The dam broke. The entire Nein surrounded the two and hugged Molly tightly. Everyone was screaming in excitement, though Molly was kind of screaming in confusion.

After a few minutes, everyone was back inside the bubble, which Caleb had to recast since he had left to join the hug. Artagan had chosen to wander elsewhere, to give the Nein their space. Molly was in Yasha's lap, but he had Caleb's coat slung around his waist for decency.

Now that she could get a better look, Yasha realized tiny details about Molly that weren't the same as before. The tips of his hair had an indigo ombré to them just as the egg did, as did the spade of his tail. His horns weren't pierced anymore, and Yasha could see little sparkles twinkling in the bone like he'd bathed in glitter days ago. Where his red eye tattoos used to be were now full moons the color of milky opals.

“You're fucking insane,” Beau spat after Molly explained his vision of the Moonweaver and the events leading up to his fiery demise. “You know how shitty it is to up and die like that? You could have at least warned us!”

“I couldn't risk you guys getting hurt,” Molly defended. “The Moonweaver asked me to do it. She gave me that spell for one use only and that was the time to do it.”

Yasha gave him a squeeze. “You don't have to sacrifice yourself for us. We are stronger together.”

Molly lowered his gaze. “It's not that I thought you guys couldn't take Vokodo without me. I…I…”

Caduceus reached out with his long arms and patted Molly on the knee. “I think I know what the Moonweaver did. She gave you a new body.”

When everyone looked at the Firbolg in confusion, he shrugged. “You've been at war with yourself ever since Cree told you about Lucien, right? And the Hag made you really think about the logistics of two souls in one body. Because, yeah, you aren't the same as Lucien. You're a totally new soul.”

Caduceus explained the odd dreams he'd been having. He'd told some of the others that he was still having visions of the city, but he hadn't mentioned the bit about Molly before now. “In hindsight, I believe I've been seeing Lucien. No tattoos, short hair, very grumpy-looking. I think that city has him. And now he's forever locked out of his body because there isn't a body for him anymore. The Moonweaver gave you a brand new one.” He gestured to Molly's form. “One that's completely yours.”

Jester gasped. “Oh my gosh, I'm glad she didn't change her mind after…”

Molly chuckled. “What did you do?”

“We kinda committed identity theft,” Beau admitted. “Made the Traveler seem like he was the Moonweaver the whole time so we could shove his followers onto her.”

Molly howled in laughter. “And you said my idea was shitty! Why did you think that wouldn't piss her off?”

“I mean, the Traveler made a super good argument,” Jester said.

They recounted the whole event of TravelerCon for Molly, who couldn't go three sentences without choking in laughter. Even the bit of Artagan getting his ass chained up made him giggle.

“Okay, new rule,” he declared. “Unless you worship the god directly, no more doing shit in their name. Caduceus and Fjord, stick to the Wildmother. Yasha, stay with the Storm Lord. Jester, keep doing what you do with the Traveler but stick with just painting dicks on other gods' shrines. And if any of you need something from the Moonweaver, come to me.”

“Why you?” Veth asked. “I mean, yeah she gave you a new body, but did she make you her Paladin? Are you her Fjord?”

Molly shook his head. “My memory from when I was dead is fuzzy, but I recall sitting with the Moonweaver. I remember her saying I was her champion, but not in the traditional sense. She had plenty of Clerics and Paladins out there, but she wanted me to be different. She wanted me to enjoy my freedom, since that's one of the things she treasures most.”

“Aww,” Jester cooed. “That's so cool.”

“So no more pretending to be her, got it?”

Outside, Yasha heard Artagan call, “LESSON LEARNED!”

They all broke into fits of laughter.

“So, Molly,” Fjord began. “Did you get something new for this new title?”

Veth bounced up and down from where she sat. “Oh oh yes! What can you do now? Some cool moon shit?”

“I think it's more fire related,” Caduceus said calmly. “Since he came out of a phoenix egg.”

“Caleb can already do fire,” Veth protested.

Molly smirked. “Okay, but I bet he can't do _this_ kind.”

He stood up, carefully tying Caleb's coat firmly around his waist as he walked out of the dome. He took a few steps, then turned to face everyone still in the dome and winked.

The wing tattoos expanded from his back, this time wreathed in beautiful blue flames. Bright blue light framed him as he walked towards his fallen sword. The sword's prismatic light sparkled when he picked it up.

Yasha blinked and suddenly the sword erupted into rainbow flames. Molly danced with it in a way that reminded Yasha of his circus days. His wings flared and curled almost as if he'd had them his whole life, no hesitation present in his dance.

The Nein clapped when he bowed, flames and wings retreating once more.

“And to answer your next question,” he said to no one in particular, “allow me to demonstrate…”

He took his sword and swiped it across the back of his neck. Ice formed where blood flowed into his blade. The rainbow shine of the sword made the bloody ice even more intense than ever before.

Molly grinned. “Caleb can keep his Fireball special. I've got my _own_ brand of fire and ice to play with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, this AU of Molly now has him multiclassed as a Blood Hunter (12) and Phoenix Sorcerer (1)
> 
> Because if Yasha gets wings so does Molly ha. He can't technically fly with them, but hey they look cool!
> 
> The sword is a scimitar version of the Chromatic Obsidian Greataxe homebrew created by The Griffon's Saddlebag on reddit. Check it out, it's super rad.
> 
> Maybe once we get more info on the city in the astral sea I might add to this AU again. Who knows?


End file.
